Signaling mechanism.



PATENTBD SEPT. 29., 1903 J. L. RIGKET'IS...

' APPLICATION fum man 21 moz.

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PATENTBD SEPT. 29, 1901i! Napf/'40,312 Y s. L. R'IGKETTS.. Y

SIGNALING MEGHANISM.

APPLIOA'HON FILED AUG, 21,-1'902.

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UNITED STATES f Patented September 29,1903.

PATENT OEEICE.

SIGNALINGMECHANISM.

SPECIFIGATION formngpart of Letters Patent No. 740,312, dated September2.9, 1903. Application led August 21, 1902. Serial No. 120,605. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom, it may con-cern:

Be it known that l, JOHN L. RIoKnrTs, a citizen of the United States,residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Signal Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.'

My invention relates to certain improvements in signal mechanism forrailways, and more particularly consists of an improved de'- vice foruse in connection with the electrical safety signal or alarm systemdescribed and claimed in my application for Letters Patent No. 9,386,filed March 19, 1900.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensivemechanism which shall be operated by the passage of a locomotive or carthrough the agency of an electric current supplied by some suitablegenerator, preferably carried by said car, to set a signal to indicatedanger andto operate other signals to indicate that the track is clearfor a certain definite distance.

This object I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure 1 is a sectional elevationof my improved mechanism, partly in diagram, illustrating the device inthe safety position. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of my improvedmechanism, showing the various parts in the positions occupied whenindicating danger. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the system as awhole, showing the applicationV thereto of my improved mechanism; andFig.

a is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus` and connections thereforcarried by a locomotive or car operating in connection with' my improvedsignal mechanism.

In the above drawings, A represents the rails of one track of a railroadwhich is divided int'o a number of so-called blocks, `at the beginningand-at the end of each of which is placed a'set of contact-plates ci andu', supported on one side of the track, it being assumed in thedescription of the lconstruction and operation of my improved system ashereinafter set forth that a train will normally runin the directionindicated by the arrow `shown on Fig. 3 and carrying a contactfinger of'metal the contact-piece on that side of the track having the plates aand a. At

the same time it will be understood that provision is made whereby thepressure of a train moving in a direction opposite to the above will beindicated, and for this purpose there rear and on the Vother side of thetrack, while the secondv plate as is connected Vto` the rplate a' twoblocksA ahead and also on the other side of the track. This plan ofconnection is adhered to throughout the system, and at the beginning ofeach block .there is placed a main v'signal-box B, containing myimproved mechanism, as well as an auxiliary signal-box B', connected toa main signal-box-two blocks distant. Y j

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated diagrammatically the apparatus andconnections therefor carried by a locomotive or car for use invconnection with my signal mechanism, this apparatus consisting,essentially, of a battery or other generator M, having one of its ter.-minals connected to the frame of the car or locomotive, and hence to theground or rail, and with its other terminal connected to a movableswitch-arman, connected to a vertically-sliding contact-piece mf, whichis provided at its end with a roller or other form of brush m? forengagement with the contact-y plates o, or a. A spring m3 normallyretains the piece m' in a position such that the switcharm m is inelectrical contact with a plate m4, which is connected to the generatorat a point between it and the ground connections G through a permanentresistance N. It will be seen, therefore, that under normal conditionsthe generator M is short circuited `through the resistance N, but thatwhen the brush m2 strikes one of the contact-plates c or cthe currentfrom said generator passes into said plate and through any electriccircuit which may be connected thereto, returning to the generatorthrough the ground connection G; Y

There are three wires 5,6', and h2 extending from-the mechanism withinthe casingB to the track and its various contacts, the first of saidwires being preferably connected at one end to a binding-post b5 on themetallic box C within the casi-ng B and grounded to one of the rails Aat its other end. The wire h extends from a binding-post b3, supportedon but insulated from the box C, to the contact-plate a two blocks aheadand on the side to engage the contacts carried by a train running in thenormal direction, the said wire being also connected to a contact-plateas at the beginning of the block at which the casing B is placed and onthe opposite side of the track from the contacts a. The wire b2 isconnected to a binding-post b4, also insulated from the metallic box C,and has its other end connected to the contact-plate aat Athe beginningof the block which this particular casing B guards and also to thecontact-plate a? on the opposite side of the track two blocks in front.

The circuit from the binding-post b4 passes through a magnet c in thebox C, adapted to act upon an armature c', upon which also acts aweighted lever c2 through the medium of a pivoted lever c5, the weightedlever tending to raise the armature or move it in a direction contraryto that in which it is moved by the attraction of the magnet. Leadingfrom the binding-post h3 is a circuit including a magnet d, which has anarmature d,-acted upon by a weighted lever d2, tending to move itoutward or in a direction contrary to the direction in which it is movedby the attraction of the magnet, this lever d2 being adapted to engagewith a block d3 on the pivoted lever c5, so as to hold the latter in itsdepressed position against the lifting action of the lever c2. Themagnet cl has one end of its Awinding connected to the metallic box Cand from this to the ground through binding-post h5 and wire b, suchconnection being made permanently through a. wire d4. The winding of themagnet c is connected to a contact-piece c4, supported by but insulatedfrom the casing C, and said piece is so placed as to be engaged by aplate c3, carried by the end of the lever c5, which is in electricalconnection with the said casing. ,The lever c5 also carries a second andinsulated plate c, adapted when the-armature is depressed to makecontact with apair of plates e, insulated from each other and formingterminals in an electric circuit in which is contained a magnet E,provided with a movable core e', connected to a guide-rack e2, whichmeshes with a spur-pinion e3 on a rock-shaft carrying a counterbalancedlever e4, with a red banner e5, having a central disk e6,of red glass.

Secured to the casing B is a white banner be, having a central disk 57of white glass, and behind this banner are a pair of incandescent lampsbs, connected in parallel with the same electric circuit which suppliescurrent to the magnet E.

The wires of the circuit containing the magnet E are connected to asuitable electric generator e7 and are extended to an auxiliarysignal-box B', placed two blocks in front of its main signal-box. Thisauxiliary box contains apparatus the same as that in the main box,except that the casing C, with its mechanism and connections, isomitted.

The safety position of the signal is that represented in Fig. l, thearmature c', with its lever c5, being depressed and held in suchposition by the armature d so as to close the switches c3 c4 and cG e.This permits current to flow through the solenoids E both in the mainand in the auxiliary casings, (it being understood that the lamps haremain permanently lighted,) with the result that .the cores e areretained within their magnets, sol as to keep the banner e5 in itselevated or safety position. When, therefore, an engine or car carryingthe mechanism shown diagram matically in Fig. 4 passes over thetrackcontact at the beginning of the block, the electric circuit inwhich is the battery or generator M, carried by the engine or car, willbe broken, while said generator will haveits circuit completed throughcontact-roller m2, contact a', and its connections, and finally throughthe ground connection G, with-the result that the magnet cwill beenergized and the armature c' will be attracted, so as to release itslever c5 from locking engagement with the armature d, the latter thenmoving outwardly by reason, ot' the action of its weighted lever d2. Assoon as the circuit of the generator M is opened by the passing of thecar-contact roller off of the contact a. the magnet c will bedenergized'and the armature c', with its lever c5, will be raised by theaction of the weighted lever c2, so as to open the switch 0304 as wellas the switch c6 e. This open circuits or denergizes the magnet E andpermits the red banner e5, with its disk e6, to fall and cover thewhitebanner h6 and disk 57, thereby giving the danger-signal, as shownin Fig. 2, both at the main signal-box B and also at the auxiliarysignal-box B' two blocks ahead of said main box. The parts of thisparticular pair of boxes remain in the danger position until the engineor car on leaving the second block ahead grounds the circuit carriedbyit through the contact-plate a', wire b', and magnet d, whereupon thevarmature d of said magnet will be attracted and the beveled end of thesame, acting upon the correspondingly-beveled face of the block d8 uponthe lever c5, attached tothe armature c', will depress and relock thislatter, again closing the switches c3 c4 and c6 e, thereby permittingthe current toV again pass through the magnet E, thereby raising thecore or armature e and swinging Athe red banner e5, with its disk e6, toone side, as shown in Fig. l.

The operation of the system will be understood from the abovedescription, and it will be seen that as a train enters each block itstrikes the contact a and sets to the danger position the mainsignal-box at the beginning of that block as well as the auxiliary boxtwo blocks ahead. Immediately thereafter it strikes a contact a. andsets to the safety po- IOC IIO

sitionamain signal-box ltwo blocks to the,

rear as Wellvas its. auxiliary box at the beginning of the block it isentering. train is 'running in the opposite direction on the sametrack,its con tact-roller m2 will strike the contacts a2 and as, settingto danger a main box two blocks ahead as well as its auxiliary box atthe end of the block which it is entering and immediately thereafterlsetting to safety through the ontact a3 the ad jacentv main box at theend of the block entered as well as the auxiliary box two blocks in itsrear.

I claim as my inventionl. In a signal apparatus, the combination of amagnet having an armature and a switchbar attached thereto,switch-contacts coperating with said bar, a pivoted lever carryingaweight and placed se that it engages the-switch-bar and tends to move itagainst the action of said magnet, a second magnet having mechanism forlocking the switch-bar in a closed position, and an electroresponsivedevice in circuit with the sWitch-barand contacts, substantially asdescribed.

2. Ina signal'apparatus, the combinationl If noWa` lposition to closeboth switches, an electromagnetic signal in circuit with one of theswitches, the second switch being in the circuit oi' 'one'of themagnets, substantially as described. g

4f In a signal apparatus, the combination oftwo magnets, a pivoted barattached to the armature of one of said magnets, a pluralityofindependent contacts placed to be simultaneously engaged by said bar,certain of said contacts being in circuit with one of said magnets, thesecond magnet having an armature `placed to retain the pivoted lever ina position to close the circuits of the said contacts,

a device tending to move the said lever away from the contacts andasecond device tending to move the armature of the second magnet fromits locking position and an electromagnetic signal in the circuit of oneof said contacts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN L. RICKETTS.

Witnesses:

FLORENCE HILLMAN, WILLIAM E. BRADLEY.

Sio

